[Let’s Play] Fighting Fantasy 65 – Blood of the Zombies

[Thaluikhain]

Use medikits and save grenade

[JourneymanN00b]

After looking at the votes, it looks like that No Name Nova will not be using a grenade. No Name Nova is technically not allowed to use a Med Kit during the fights, but due to the circumstances, I will allow our hero to use the remaining Med Kit and Small Med Kit.

The fight:
Round 1: Zombies Killed: 15
Zombies Remaining: 0

On section 280, No Name Nova jumps behind the Browning machine gun and fires at a horde of 24 Zombies. Rolling the dice and applying the appropriate modification reveals that the Browning machine gun deals 18 damage to the Zombies before the fight begins, which is not enough to kill all of the Zombies, so No Name Nova goes to section 256. It is there that No Name Nova takes 6 damage from the Zombies and is forced to finish them off with the handgun.

The fight:
Round 1: Zombies Killed: 5
Zombies Remaining: 1, Player Stamina: 8
Round 2: Zombies Killed: 6
Zombies Remaining: 0

On section 182, No Name Nova faces another horde of 26 Zombies sent by Gingrich Yurr and fires down on them with the heavy machine gun. Rolling the dice and applying the appropriate modification reveals that the Browning machine gun deals 22 damage to the Zombies before the fight begins, which is not enough to kill all of the Zombies and forces our hero to go to section 22. After taking 4 damage from the Zombies, No Name Nova is still alive and fights the rest of them off with the handgun.

The fight:
Round 1: Zombies Killed: 4
Zombies Remaining: 0

No Name Nova gets ambushed by two axe-wielding Zombies on section 168, which deal 4 damage to No Name Nova and is just enough to kill our hero. A resurrection will be used to restore our hero to 75 Stamina points. With our hero fully restored to life, No Name Nova fights the two Zombies bare-handed.

The fight:
Round 1: Zombies Killed: 2
Zombies Remaining: 0

Going over to section 360, No Name Nova opens fire on another horde of 27 Zombies attempting to climb the ladder. Rolling the dice and applying the appropriate modification reveals that the Browning machine gun deals 22 damage to the Zombies before the fight begins, which is not enough to kill all of the Zombies and forces our hero to go to section 325. After taking 5 damage from the surviving Zombies, No Name Nova takes them out with the handgun.

The fight:
Round 1: Zombies Killed: 6
Zombies Remaining: 0

110


The battle is over. No more Zombies come into the courtyard. The air raid siren is no longer blaring, and it seems unnaturally quiet without the deafening rat-a-tat-tat of the Browning, which still has wisps of smoke drifting from its red-hot barrel. As the dust settles below, you see the gruesome pile of dead Zombies. You look up at the observation tower but Yurr has vanished. You scan the windows of the inner courtyard buildings and catch sight of something sticking out of an open window directly opposite. You shield your eyes from the sun and see it is the barrel of a large weapon, the sunlight reflecting off its telescopic sight. Holding the weapon is Gingrich Yurr, his grey facial features hideously disfigured like those of his Zombie followers. A puff of smoke shoots out from the end of the barrel. You have a millisecond to decide what to do. If you want to fire your machine gun at the window, turn to 292. If you want to jump off the balcony turn to 224.

Please make your votes on whether to do so before 7:00 PM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
No Name Nova
STAMINA: 70
INFORMATION:
Username is White Rabbit
Roznik is owed $100 for blood
Secret door code is 161
DOLLARS $: 42
ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT:
‘Hendrix’ Bag
String
Small Key Stamped With ‘9’
Hack Saw
Sports Clothes
14 Boxes of Bullets
Wallet
Blacksmith’s Tongs
Rope and Grappling Hook
Gold Locket With Gold Chain
Yellow Notepaper Printed With ‘combination lock number: 181’
13 Boxes of Shotgun Cartridges
Steel Pulley
Brass Key Stamped With ‘111’
Tape Measure
Pair of Reading Glasses
Pocket Romanian-English Dictionary
Calculator
Car Keys
Empty Plastic Bottle
Empty Flask
Pair of Silver Frog-shaped Cufflinks
Notebook Page Written With ‘Password reminder: my car’
3 Cases of Machine Gun Bullets
Flak Jacket
Set of Keys Each Stamped With No. 1 Through No. 8
Change of Clothing
Laboratory Coat
Magnifying Glass
Clown Outfit
Cowboy Hat
Policeman’s Helmet
Fairy Princess Costume
Space Helmet
Sailor’s Uniform
Wigs
False Beards
Moustaches
Camera
Main Gate Key
MED KITS:
None
WEAPONS: DAMAGE
Barehanded: 1d6-3
Small Penknife: 1d6-2
Baseball Bat: 1d6
Crowbar: 1d6
Pistol: 1d6+2
Axe: 1d6
Machine Gun: 2d6+5
Loaded Handgun: 1d6+2
Chainsaw: 2d6+3
GRENADES: 1 (2d6+1)
TOTAL NUMBER OF ZOMBIES KILLED: 318
RESURRECTIONS: 1

[Queen of Swords]

I think we’ll have to jump off the balcony, unless our machine gun intercepts the projectile somehow. Maybe wait for more votes on this?

[Beroli]

Jump off the balcony.

[JourneymanN00b]

Jumping off the balcony received 2 votes, so No Name Nova will do this.

224
You jump off the balcony, landing painfully but unharmed on the pile of bodies, which breaks your fall. There is a huge explosion overhead as a bazooka shell blows the balcony to pieces. You roll away to avoid being hit by falling rubble and debris. You stand up and run across the courtyard and through the doors in the north wing before Gingrich Yurr has time to fire another shell. All is deathly quiet in the corridor, but you know that Yurr in his Zombie state will be desperate to hunt you down. You suddenly remember with horror that your bag was on the balcony. Everything that was inside it is now lost. All you have left is your handgun and any small items you have inside your pockets to take on Yurr and any remaining Zombies. You must decide which wing of the castle to search first. If you want to search the north wing, where you are now, turn to 132. If you want to search the west wing, turn to 48. If you want to search the south wing, turn to 236. If you want to search the east wing, turn to 16.



Please make your votes on whether to do so before 7:00 PM PST to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
No Name Nova
STAMINA: 70
INFORMATION:
Username is White Rabbit
Roznik is owed $100 for blood
Secret door code is 161
DOLLARS $: 42
ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT:
String
Small Key Stamped With ‘9’
Wallet
Yellow Notepaper Printed With ‘combination lock number: 181’
Brass Key Stamped With ‘111’
Car Keys
Pair of Silver Frog-shaped Cufflinks
Notebook Page Written With ‘Password reminder: my car’
Set of Keys Each Stamped With No. 1 Through No. 8
Main Gate Key
MED KITS:
None
WEAPONS: DAMAGE
Barehanded: 1d6-3
Small Penknife: 1d6-2
Loaded Handgun: 1d6+2
GRENADES: 1 (2d6+1)
TOTAL NUMBER OF ZOMBIES KILLED: 318
RESURRECTIONS: 1

[SGamerz]

We're searching in a fascist's territory, so east.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

(Does it specify what counts as small items we have in our pockets?)

[JourneymanN00b]

May as well.

(Does it specify what counts as small items we have in our pockets?)

It does not, so I applied the description towards items that I believe can fit into a pocket.

Anyway, I have registered your votes to search the east wing.

16
You walk around the corner to the east wing, picking your way through the bodies of dead Zombies. On the first floor you find a grenade (2d6+1) in a metal box in one of the rooms but there is no sign of Gingrich Yurr anywhere. Suddenly you hear the sound of a car’s engine starting up. You open a window and look through to see that the garage doors below are open. Gun in hand you run down the stairs into the courtyard and head for the garage. Turn to 369.

369
As you run across the courtyard towards the open garage, thirteen Zombies charge out. They have been locked up in a sore room at the back of the garage for days and are berserk with rage. They are wielding large spanners and hammers, making them more powerful. You must fight them. Each Zombie who survives your first attack will cause 2 points of DAMAGE. If you win, turn to 247.

The fight:
Round 1: Zombies Killed: 8
Zombies Remaining: 5, Player Stamina: 65
Round 2: Zombies Killed: 5
Zombies Remaining: 0

247
You hear the car engine roaring loudly inside the garage. You look round the door and see Gingrich Yurr sitting in the driver’s seat of his Austin Healey, revving the engine and laughing insanely. There is a rusty old delivery van parked next to the Austin Healey. Being so close to Yurr, you see just how hideous he really is, his innate evil made all the more obvious by his Zombie eyes and torn flesh. He suddenly catches sight of you and revs the engine even louder, but appears confused when he tries to put the car into gear. Because of his transformation he has virtually forgotten how to drive and his frustration quickly turns into anger. He pulls and pushes the gear stick viciously back and forth until suddenly the car shoots forward, forcing you to jump to the side to avoid being run over. He drives out of the garage at high speed, swerving around the courtyard out of control, trying to run you down. If you want to run for the open doors in the north wing, turn to 11. If you want to turn and shoot Yurr, turn to 144.



Please make your votes on before 9:00 AM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
No Name Nova
STAMINA: 65
INFORMATION:
Username is White Rabbit
Roznik is owed $100 for blood
Secret door code is 161
DOLLARS $: 42
ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT:
String
Small Key Stamped With ‘9’
Wallet
Yellow Notepaper Printed With ‘combination lock number: 181’
Brass Key Stamped With ‘111’
Car Keys
Pair of Silver Frog-shaped Cufflinks
Notebook Page Written With ‘Password reminder: my car’
Set of Keys Each Stamped With No. 1 Through No. 8
Main Gate Key
MED KITS:
None
WEAPONS: DAMAGE
Barehanded: 1d6-3
Small Penknife: 1d6-2
Loaded Handgun: 1d6+2
GRENADES: 2 (2d6+1)
TOTAL NUMBER OF ZOMBIES KILLED: 331
RESURRECTIONS: 1

[Thaluikhain]

Vote for shooting.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, try shooting him.

[SGamerz]

Shoot!

[JourneymanN00b]

Turning and shooting Yurr received 3 votes, so No Name Nova will do this.

144
You stand your ground as the speeding car bears down on you, taking careful aim and firing rapidly at the crazed undead driver. Yurr is hit and the car suddenly swerves left, crashing head-on into the building at high speed before bursting into flames. The petrol tank ignites, causing a huge explosion which totally destroys the car. As you watch the burning wreck, you feel an incredible sense of relief. Lose in your own thoughts, you walk back towards the garage. Turn to 117.

117
The noise of the blazing inferno inside the car blocks out the sound of footsteps on the gravel behind you. Suddenly you hear an agonized scream as somebody jumps on your back. It’s Yurr, his face blackened and blistered from the fire and his charred body warm on your back. Despite being shot, burned and badly injured from the car crash, the undead madman is still not defeated. He tightens his grip around your neck and wrestles you to the ground, making you drop your gun. You must fight for your life barehanded. Yurr has 7 STAMINA points and is also fighting barehanded. If you win, turn to 44.

Round 1:
Player Damage: -2, Yurr Damage: 0
Player Stamina: 65, Yurr Stamina: 7
Round 2:
Player Damage: -1, Yurr Damage: -1
Player Stamina: 65, Yurr Stamina: 7
Round 3:
Player Damage: -2, Yurr Damage: 3
Player Stamina: 62, Yurr Stamina: 7
Round 4:
Player Damage: -2, Yurr Damage: 1
Player Stamina: 61, Yurr Stamina: 7
Round 5:
Player Damage: 0, Yurr Damage: -1
Player Stamina: 61, Yurr Stamina: 7
Round 6:
Player Damage: -1, Yurr Damage: -2
Player Stamina: 61, Yurr Stamina: 7
Round 7:
Player Damage: 1, Yurr Damage: -2
Player Stamina: 61, Yurr Stamina: 6
Round 8:
Player Damage: 1, Yurr Damage: -1
Player Stamina: 61, Yurr Stamina: 5
Round 9:
Player Damage: 2, Yurr Damage: 0
Player Stamina: 61, Yurr Stamina: 3
Round 10:
Player Damage: 2, Yurr Damage: 2
Player Stamina: 59, Yurr Stamina: 1
Round 11:
Player Damage: 3
Yurr Stamina: -2

44
You take no chances and pick up your gun to shoot Yurr several times, to make sure he is no longer a threat to the world. All you can think about is getting away from the castle as quickly as possible. You hurry into the garage to take a look at the van. If you have a set of car keys in your pocket, turn to 217. If you do not have a set of keys, turn to 96.

No Name Nova has a set of car keys.

217


You search through your pockets and find the keys you are looking for. You open the van door, jump into the driver’s seat and turn the key in the ignition. The starter motor whirrs for what seems like ages before the engine finally splutters into life, backfiring, and belching thick black smoke out of the exhaust. You put the van in gear and press down on the accelerator. The van lurches forward into the courtyard, engine misfiring. There is a sudden loud bang, caused by something landing on the cabin roof. A hideous face appears upside down in front of you, pressed against the windscreen. A lone Zombie has jumped down from the first floor window above the garage and onto the roof of the van. It begins hammering on the windscreen. You point your gun above you and shoot through the roof. The Zombie screeches in pain, rolls off the roof and hits the ground. Through the rear-view mirror you see it attempt to stand up again. You stop the van and get out, leaving the engine running. The bleeding Zombie stumbles towards you, arms outstretched, uttering the words ‘the enemy’ in a low, rasping voice. You shoot again and watch it drop face-down onto the ground, this time for good. You approach the body cautiously and slowly turn it over with your foot. Its jacket flops open and you see a tag sewn on the inside pocket, with the name Higson embroidered on it. Still alert, you scan the area, but seeing no more Zombies, you jump back in the van and drive up to the main gates, blasting the padlock off with a burst of gunfire. You toss your gun out of the window, crash through the gates, your foot pressed down on the accelerator. You speed through the forest and some ten minutes later you see a girl ahead of you walking along the road. Even from a distance you can see that she has long blonde hair and is wearing jeans and a t-shirt, so you recognize that it is Amy at once. You toot the horn and watch her turn around and wave frantically, jumping up and down with excitement. You drive up to her and stop. ‘Nice wheels,’ she says, laughing. You are relieved to see that she is safe and tell her to jump in. You drive off, admonishing her for walking alongside the road. She dismisses your lecture with a wave of the hand, as all she wants to hear about is the gruesome account of your battles with Gingrich Yurr and his army of Zombies. Turn to 400.



400
With the sun slipping slowly beneath the horizon, you arrive at a small village by the name of Melis. You go straight to the police station and report the horrific events that happened at Goraya Castle. There are only two policemen in the village. Both stare at you in disbelief when you relate your shocking tale. At first they threaten to arrest you, but finally agree to go to the castle in the morning to investigate. They tell you to go to the local inn but not to leave the village, as they will need to speak to you in the morning. You find rooms at a small guest house and after a much-needed shower you meet Amy downstairs for dinner. Neither of you are very hungry and you just talk endlessly about Gingrich Yurr. ‘So do you think you killed all the Zombies?’ Amy asks anxiously. You reply that you think you did, and certainly you hope you did. You go through all your battles, writing down the number of Zombies killed in each one. When you have counted up the total, turn to that number. If it is not the right number, turn to 165.

Fortunately for No Name Nova, our hero killed every single Zombie at Goraya Castle, so we will turn to section 333.

333
Amy looks at you intently as you recount all the battles one more time. Satisfied that you searched everywhere inside the castle and left no Zombies standing, you announce that you are certain you killed them all. ‘I certainly hope so,’ she replies, smiling. ‘If not, Melis will be the first village the Zombies come to and they will attack during the night. If I wake up in the morning, I’ll know you did kill them all!’ Turn to 225.

225
The next morning Amy wakes early to the sound of birds singing outside her window. The sun is shining and all is quiet and peaceful in the picturesque village of Melis. She opens the curtains and looks out onto the village square. People are busy setting up their market stalls, unaware that you have averted the apocalypse of the undead. You, however, did not sleep so well in your tiny bedroom in the attic. All night you thought about the events of the previous day, going through everything in your mind over and over again. You are positive that you checked all the rooms, but something is still bugging you. Suddenly it dawns on you – the skip in the courtyard! You didn’t look under the cover. You try to convince yourself that it was very unlikely that there were any Zombies hiding in a skip. Before long you have managed to dismiss the idea as paranoia. You go downstairs to meet Amy for breakfast. She talks excitedly about flying back to New York and you discuss how long you think the police will make you stay in Melis. Not long, as it turns out. Local politics intervene, and later in the morning you are told by the police that they do not believe your story after all. Not wanting to scare off any tourists with ridiculous rumours about Zombies, they have decided not to carry out an investigation, and have instead arranged for a taxi to take you to the railway station – immediately. Despite your protests, you are sent on your way. The following day Amy flies to New York. Back in England, your life eventually returns to normal at college. You end up graduating with the highest marks ever recorded for your dissertation.



Bonus victory entry:
As the long awaited doctorate of mythology is granted to No Name Nova on the graduation stage, No Name Nova begins to think about what job to pursue afterwards. Who would want to hire someone with a mythology doctorate? Being a teacher was anathema to No Name Nova due to the disheartening process of preparing lectures, and many companies viewed such degrees as signs of being a loony, to say the least. No Name Nova was stuck, and trying to find a steady income was going to be a challenge soon enough.

With no other ideas, No Name Nova decides to become a researcher and begins the long process of finding enough suckers to obtain funding for important sounding endeavors. Who knows, No Name Nova might strike it rich with a groundbreaking discovery or two.

Pheeww! It took 5 resurrections and 17 pages of content, but we successfully finished the worst designed Fighting Fantasy gamebook on record and uncovered every single secret to boot. Give yourselves a very long round of applause, not only for completing this adventure, but also finishing the original Fighting Fantasy series published by Puffin Books *and* by Wizard Books! That is a massive accomplishment for any forum to achieve. Hopefully it will allow this forum to stand out among the Internet’s many message boards in a good way.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this Let’s Play, as well as in my previous threads that date back to December 2021.

So here’s the deal with my future plans: According to the latest news from Holmgard Press, the last two books of the Magnakai series planned to be shipped to those who pre-ordered them starting in January 4, but I have not received any confirmation whether the books are indeed available. Even if they are (which is doubtful), they are currently only available in hardbacks, and my financial situation is still not stable enough to be able to purchase all 7 Magnakai books right now. Also, I do not believe that I can commit the time to run the Magnakai series right now, as I estimate that doing so would take at least 9 months to complete, based on what my work looks like this year.

So that leaves me with Crystal of Storms, which I am tentatively confident that I can run as the next Let’s Play if there is enough interest for this. However, I do not have any experience with playing this particular adventure, and there is a risk of something going wrong. I have read some reviews of this book, and it looks like running this will require some adjustments so that we can run Crystal of Storms without the Let’s Play being a tedious reading experience. While I will still need to figure out what adjustments will be necessary, I can say for sure that I will not be giving our hero 6 resurrections like this adventure. Any adjustments that I do will be designed to prevent excessive rewinding in case our hero dies or gets stuck.

With that in mind, is there any interest in a Let’s Play for Crystal of Storms? I am looking to have at least 3 people, preferably more, show interest in this before I officially commit to it. If anyone is able to provide me with a pdf or a copy of the book, that would also be appreciated, as that would allow me to be able to hopefully purchase a wider selection of books for future Let’s Plays.

For now, I will be taking a break from hosting, as I am super exhausted and am trying to save up energy and time to handle my work projects. I hope that everyone understands the need for this.

Adventure Sheet
No Name Nova
STAMINA: 59
INFORMATION:
Username is White Rabbit
Roznik is owed $100 for blood
Secret door code is 161
DOLLARS $: 42
ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT:
String
Small Key Stamped With ‘9’
Wallet
Yellow Notepaper Printed With ‘combination lock number: 181’
Brass Key Stamped With ‘111’
Car Keys
Pair of Silver Frog-shaped Cufflinks
Notebook Page Written With ‘Password reminder: my car’
Set of Keys Each Stamped With No. 1 Through No. 8
Main Gate Key
MED KITS:
None
WEAPONS: DAMAGE
Barehanded: 1d6-3
Small Penknife: 1d6-2
GRENADES: 2 (2d6+1)
TOTAL NUMBER OF ZOMBIES KILLED: 333
RESURRECTIONS: 1

[Thaluikhain]

Thanks for running this for *checks* almost 2 months.

I like the idea of having a combat system totally unlike the one all the others have. Trying something new, fair enough. OTOH, stuff like:

"If you want to call out the name Amy, turn to 312. If you want to call out the name Amelia, turn to 38. If you want to call out the name Amanda, turn to 197"

That's old, obsolete. People had discovered the "If you find her, add 20 to the paragraph number you are on" ages ago.

"Melis will be the first village the Zombies come to and they will attack during the night. If I wake up in the morning, I’ll know you did kill them all!" That's not the best way of finding out, but sums up this book.

OTOH, the book mostly avoids namedropping other books for no reason, and thus it can't retcon away popular things from other books.

[Queen of Swords]

Thanks for hosting this. What an exhausting grind it was, and not very imaginative on the author's part either. I feel like rereading a good gamebook just to forget about this one.

Some questions I have, though. What happens if you don't rescue Amy (say, you didn't read her diary)? Or if you say you guessed her name rather than telling her about the diary?

What happens if you leave the castle without killing all 333 zombies?

What do the scientists do if you try to arrest them rather than bluffing them, or if you don't have enough money to pay them?

[Beroli]

Thanks for running this, JourneymanN00b!

I don't know enough about Crystal of Storms to make any promises, I'm afraid.

[SGamerz]

I don't know enough about Crystal of Storms to express any real interest either. What little reviews I've seen about it hasn't been too positive. I will likely participate if you do run it, simply because I haven't tried it before and will do so out of curiosity, but the interest isn't strong enough for me to actively push for it to happen, especially if you're busy.

[JourneymanN00b]

Thanks for hosting this. What an exhausting grind it was, and not very imaginative on the author's part either. I feel like rereading a good gamebook just to forget about this one.

Some questions I have, though. What happens if you don't rescue Amy (say, you didn't read her diary)? Or if you say you guessed her name rather than telling her about the diary?

What happens if you leave the castle without killing all 333 zombies?

What do the scientists do if you try to arrest them rather than bluffing them, or if you don't have enough money to pay them?

You either get killed by Gingrich Yurr in a variety of ways or are forced back into the room with Amy. If you don't call out her name, you have the option to use the chainsaw if you have it, but that also leads to death through one of two ways.

Leaving the castle without killing all 333 Zombies results in the remaining Zombies attacking the entire village of Melis, including you, which results in a game over.

Trying to arrest the scientists gives you a 50% chance to either get infected with Zombie blood when one of the scientists ambushes you with a syringe containing contaminated blood, or proceed to section 254 as normal. Not paying the scientist cause him to order you to go back and get the money from Yurr. From there, you can try to arrest the scientists as above, or directly proceed to the fire door at section 172.

Appreciate all the thanks for running this Let's Play, as it makes me feel that running them is worthwhile when I have the energy to do so.

Since there aren't 3 votes for Crystal of Storms and nobody is able to give me a full copy of the book, I am officially declaring the start of my break from hosting Let's Plays, which will last until I recover enough energy and have a stable enough schedule outside of work. I have no idea on when that time will be, but as soon as it comes, I will let all of you know.

[Queen of Swords]

Thanks for answering all those! If you don't mind, I have one more question : do we gain anything from searching the other wings of the castle after jumping off the balcony?

[JourneymanN00b]

Thanks for answering all those! If you don't mind, I have one more question : do we gain anything from searching the other wings of the castle after jumping off the balcony?

Searching the north wing yields nothing, while the west wing has a Med Kit and the south wing has a sawn-off shotgun (1d6+4) plus a box of cartridges.